Right now, I’m happily working on several cozy mysteries for a new continuity series for Guideposts that kicked off this spring. The series is Mysteries of Lancaster County, and having never written Amish or Mennonite fiction before, I’m up to my ears in oodles of interesting research. Without giving away too many spoilers, in the most recent story I just wrapped up, I needed to dig into the historical record and study Amish involvement in World War II. Here are a few intriguing tidbits I uncovered. During World War II, did you know…
That the Amish were considered by many citizens to be unpatriotic?
During the time of World War I, especially, little groundwork was laid to deal with the ethical dilemma of conscientious objectors. By taking no action, Amish (and other pacifist groups, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses) were not seen as establishing a neutral stance but as actively working against the war effort. Resentment was fueled by the fact that many non-Amish citizens who enlisted came home after the war to discover that their farms and land had been lost… sometimes to Amish families whose lives had not been disrupted in the same manner as soldiers’ lives had been.
By World War II, a legal precedent had been established to allow Amish to serve their country, without actively participating in battle. This allowed for some hard feelings between Amish and non-Amish to be resolved, but also created friction within the Amish community. Amish who chose to serve their country by working in the CPS (Civilian Public Service) camps drew criticism from their families, who still considered non-combatant positions to be immoral. In my upcoming story, a family who is split apart by this particular scenario learns to make peace with the past.
That the Pledge of Allegiance was a point of controversy?
This is a fact that didn’t make it into the story I wrote, but there are first-person accounts that testify that Amish children attending non-Amish schools during the period of World War II remained silent during the first line of the Pledge, as they and their families believed they shouldn’t make an oath to follow any power other than God. At the time, their reaction was met with harsh criticism from the general American public, who saw this refusal to participate in a basic patriotic act as nearly treasonous.
Some Amish children, as discussed in Jim Cates’ excellent article on Amish America referenced below, didn’t participate in even indirect acts attached to the war effort, such as harvesting milkweed pods later used to make flotation devices for the military.
That Amish don’t sport mustaches because of the connection with the military lifestyle?
From what I could find out, this is true! Married Amish men show their taken status by growing beards, but they avoid mustaches. This is typically attributed to the fact that up until the early 1900s, British soldiers were required to wear mustaches. The Amish chose to further emphasize their pacifist status by refusing to grow hair above the lip.
It also doesn’t hurt that beards are mentioned several times in Scripture, but mustaches are not! Psalm 133:1-2 says: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard…” (NKJV). Leviticus 19:27 reads: You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard.” (NKJV). Plenty of other Old Testament books, such as 1 and 2 Samuel and Isaiah, mention beards as well.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my writing life! If you’d like to read more about Amish involvement in World War II, feel free to check out these interesting links around the Web:
Keep reading!
Shaen
